AMEN

Hebrew word meaning “so it is” or “let it be,” derived from a verb meaning “to be firm or sure.” Some translations of the Bible always retain the Hebrew word amen in the text. Others translate it by an expression such as “truly” or “I tell you the truth,” or sometimes omit it altogether. Because of its use in the OT, “amen” was also used in Christian worship and religious writings, including the Greek NT.

“Amen” has much more significance than merely being the last word in a prayer. In fact, that practice is not evidenced in the Bible and was not especially frequent in ancient times. In the nearly 30 times it is used in the OT, “amen” almost always occurs as a response to what has preceded. The significance of the response is that with it the people adopted what had just been said as if it were their own. For example, in Deuteronomy 27:15-26 (where “amen” appears 12 times) the people responded with “amen” after each statement of a curse directed toward those who disobey God. Similarly, “amen” is used as a response after statements of promise (Jer 11:5) or of praise and thanksgiving (1 Chr 16:36), and as a conclusion to the first four of the five “books” of Psalms (Pss 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; 106:48). The only exceptions in the OT are two occurrences in Isaiah 65:16. There, the phrase “the God of amen” (or “the God of truth”) stresses that God is the one who is “firm”; that is, he is completely trustworthy and faithfully fulfills his promises.

The use of “amen” as a response to a preceding statement is continued in the NT epistles and book of Revelation. It appears after doxologies (Eph 3:21), benedictions (Gal 6:18), the giving of thanks (1 Cor 14:16), prophecy (Rv 1:7), and statements of praise (Rv 7:12). From 1 Corinthians 14:16 it is clear that a response of “amen” after a statement of thanks was a means for worshipers to participate by showing agreement with what had been said.